By Carolina Hurant
The holiday season is here and with that comes more parties, food, libations, and stress. All of this adds up to less time spent training. The reality is, everyone deserves to enjoy this festive time of year, but that doesn’t have to derail your training goals completely. Here are some top nutrition tips to help you stay on track and still have fun.
- Offer healthy options at your table. If you’re hosting this holiday season, make sure you offer healthy options. Good choices are fresh veggie appetizers, fresh fruits for dessert, a lean protein, fresh salad and simple starch (something that hasn’t been doctored up with lots of butter, cream and oil) for dinner.
- Bring a healthy dish to any event you attend. If you aren’t hosting, offer to bring a dish. This allows you to insure there will be something healthy for you.
- Indulge a little. Make it a point to sample a few things that you really look forward to this time of year. A small bite goes a long way in satisfying a craving and not feeling deprived without overdoing it.
- Avoid leftovers. Whatever you do, don’t keep a lot of leftovers or bring leftovers home (unless it’s the healthier stuff). One meal won’t set you back in your training or weight loss goals, but multiple meals of the same rich foods will certainly start to weigh you down.
- Stay on track in between events and holidays. Lose the black or white thinking of ‘this month is a wash anyway.’ Maintaining a healthy diet between holidays and events goes a long way in keeping off those extra pounds.
- Train regularly, but be flexible. Even if you can’t go out for a 5-mile training run, go out and run for as long as you can to clock some miles. If you can’t make it to the gym, do a home bodyweight workout. Basically, doing what you can with the time you have is much better than doing nothing at all. Don’t expect perfection from yourself, just keep on moving.
Here is a fun and easy body weight workout for anyone of any fitness level. This is a great workout in lieu of a training session. It’s fast, efficient and effective!
Work for 45 seconds at each exercise, then rest for 45 seconds. Repeat 3 – 6 times.
Mountain Climbers
When you set up your mountain climbers, start in a plank position, then jump right foot up towards your right wrist. Alternate legs moving as quickly as possible.
Jumping Jacks
Start standing tall with arms at your sides. Jump legs out and arms straight up, clapping hands together at the top. Repeat moving as quickly as possible.
Burpees
Start standing tall, then place your hands down on the ground and jump your feet back as you simultaneously lower your entire body to the ground. Then using a half push-up from the knees, press your chest up off the ground and jump your feet up towards your hands. Finish the burpee by jumping about 2 inches off the ground and clapping hands above your head. Repeat moving as quickly as possible.
Walking Lunges
Start standing tall, then step right foot forward and take left knee to the ground. Right knee and left knee should be at 90-degree angles. Repeat alternating sides moving as quickly as possible.
Rest for 45 seconds then repeat the set from the first exercise. Repeat 3-6 times.
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Carolina Camaro Hurant is a runner/crossfitter/yogi. She is the owner of Inspire Fitness, a small group and private training outdoor fitness studio that offers classes, one on one training and nutrition coaching. Carolina graduated from the George Washington University with a degree in Exercise Science and Nutrition. She has been personal training for over 10 years. Carolina loves being outdoors with her family.
